Men's Aequilibrium Lite GTX Jacket vs Men's Foray II Jacket: which is safer?

Outdoor Research Men's Foray II Jacket is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

La Sportiva Men's Aequilibrium Lite GTX Jacket

La Sportiva

Men's Aequilibrium Lite GTX Jacket

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 6/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

GORE-TEX (Teflon-family coating membrane)

Confidence

50%

PossibleAntimony in polyester

ReportedMicrofiber shedding and textile degradation

Our pick

Outdoor Research Men's Foray II Jacket

Outdoor Research

Men's Foray II Jacket

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 16/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 1

Material

Nylon with water-repellent coating finish

Confidence

45%

PossibleVOC off-gassing and coating degradation over time

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Antimony in polyester and Microfiber shedding and textile degradation on the La Sportiva and not on the Outdoor Research.
  • We flag VOC off-gassing and coating degradation over time on the Outdoor Research and not on the La Sportiva.
  • The La Sportiva is GORE-TEX (fluoropolymer membrane) where the Outdoor Research is Nylon with DWR finish, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.

Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

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